


A Breath in Darkness

by Nauscica



Category: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: Multi, Sick Character, will add more tags later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-13 04:13:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16885425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nauscica/pseuds/Nauscica
Summary: Against all odds, Yazoo and Loz survive the battle atop the Shinra building. When he finds Loz in a coma, his body changed, Yazoo's goals shift to caring for his defenseless brother.





	1. Chapter 1

The industrial megacity has been abandoned for years, the only occupants moving between the wreckage were the rodents and the wind, a soft rain singing a hollow song. Atop the tallest building an explosion erupts, two figures are propelled from the blast.

He was looking at the sky. It took him a moment to recognize what was happening to him, leaving himself dumbfounded. The explosion had hurled his body through the air with great force, the initial speeds picking up as he began to descend back down to the planet. The rain that poured from the twilit sky felt more like daggers piercing through his back as he hit the crux of his momentum. 

He tried to twist in the air to see where the momentum of the blast was sending him. When he had, his eyes widened at the realization of his destination. At this speed, no matter if he landed in the green water or not, he would break something but at least with the liquid, he’d have a chance at survival. With a twist of his hips, he pulled his head forward and tried to shield his own skull from the encroaching impact. 

A breath later, he struck the metal structure that had been protruding from the substance. The impact shoved all the fluid out of the way, and created a crater, knocking him out. But he lived. This moment of trepidation was overshadowed as the Mako returned to its place, accompanying him in the crater he had made. 

It was this action that shocked him to consciousness once more, as the liquid slowly filled around his body, a substance his body was ill-equipped to handle. Pain, rivaling the way the rain burned his skin, searing him from above and below, and the pain only grew more unbearable as the green liquid fills his crater. 

He tried to scream, begging for someone to hear him. His body whisper around a black smoke as the two substances, Mako and the healing rain, enveloped his body. He struggled, scratching and trying with all his might to get out of the aqueous, desperate to gain his footing. Another surge of pain, this time in his back, told him he would not be getting out of here that way. 

He knew as he looked down at his legs that he would not be using them. So in a fit of desperation, he reached with his arms, trying to grab the mouth of the wreckage to pull himself out. Sheer panic rose in him as the green substance filled up to his ears.

 

“Brothers!” He screamed as tears came down his cheeks. “Please! Help me!”

 

The Mako completely covered his face, slipping into his mouth and in his lungs, drowning him. He struggled in vain to pull himself above the green liquid, his limbs thrashing in his manic attempts to save himself, only once being able to come up for air. His mind could not fathom the amount of pain he endured, horror rising in him as he reached out for anything he could grab to save his life, all his efforts fruitless. 

Slowly, his body and mind ebbed away from consciousness, with only the strong desire to live pulsing in his ears. All became still, quiet, and dark. Until he could hear someone call his name, with a voice so sweet and kind, telling him it was okay for him to let go.


	2. Chapter 2

With startled gasps of air, the remnant opened his eyes. Pain washed over his body in waves as his consciousness returned to the world before him, every breath as painful as the last. He first saw the sky, the beauty of the cosmos staring back at him, bringing him calm in his confusion. Lying there as his body became aware once more, he pondered. How had he survived? 

The last memory he could muster was with his brothers; Kadaj had disappeared into the sky, Cloud stands there looking up as that dreadful rain softly descended, and a conviction boiled inside Yazoo's being. It wasn't going to end like this... He shot, the bullet hitting the target's center. Cloud collapsed for but a moment then turns to them. "We'll go... together." He had said to Loz, his brother responding in turn. They were weakened by their last battle, by the awful rain. Then, their brother attacked...

  
What had transpired afterward? The explosion as they cast every Materia they both had within their bodies had sent Yazoo propelled off the roof...

  
Loz...

  
He sat up, trying to ignore the rasping pain, peering around him. His confusion only deepened when he realized he was still on the building, barely covered by a canopy of the metal and stone structure. Pain flowed over him once more as he tried to stand. There were no wounds. His left arm was intact. Materia orbs, somehow blackened, lay nearby. Something within his subconscious told him this did not make any sense. His arm, his body; it should be ravaged. He should be gone...

  
It was evident by the darkened sky that hours had passed since Kadaj's last battle with Cloud, since Loz and he made their last stand. If he had not died by the explosion, surely the rain should have destroyed him. And yet, here he was. He grasped a couple of the blackened Materia and pocketed them as he'd need these eventually. First thing's first. As he stood and began his search for Loz, his questions amounted. He may never receive the answers.

  
Yazoo climbed down the building, searching every floor he could for his brother, to no avail. It would be a few days worth of searching before the thought crossed his mind. What if Loz did not survive? What if he was alone? The prospect of loneliness petrified him. He couldn't be the only one left. What would he do? Where would he go? How could he go on living?

  
He had reached ground level and climbed atop rubble and looked upon what he could see of sector three, swallowing the despair that grasped at him. Decimated as it was the sector was mostly intact, however, there were points where the structure had sunken. Having explored this sector for days, finding his brother here was looking to be an ultimately fruitless venture. Though the pain in his body had devolved to aches and annoyance, it was hard to navigate. His obstacles being either fallen structures or large pools of Mako that had seeped out from the reactors, or worse, that dreadful purifying water. It was in one of these pools that he saw a body, illuminated by the sunlight flowing in through the hole in the upper plate. A spark of hope fluttered in his chest, yet his steps remained a somber calm as he approached. Could it be possible? When he had come close enough, his question was answered.

  
The Mako pool was deep in some places, having turned into a lake as the metal structure it rested in trapped the liquid. It may have eventually dried up had there not been a steady stream of Mako pouring in from an exposed pipe just below Yazoo's feet. Lying upon the rubble of the shallow end was his brother, his lower torso submerged in the volatile liquid. He made his way down to his brother's body.

  
"Loz?" He called out, a whisper of hope in his heart. No response had sounded. The slope of rubble near his brother was easy to navigate, and he had made sure not to step into the Mako itself.

  
Being in the vicinity of this liquid made his stomach curdle as it was, but it was when he stepped into the pool, and onto the structure that his brother's body lay upon, he felt a nauseating pain sweep up from his feet. It was almost crippling, rendering him breathless. He pushed through it, and knelt down next to his brother and reached a hand into the liquid, despite how it pained him to do so. With his hand cupping the head, he lifted Loz out of the Mako, ignoring the pain as best as he could whilst cradling his brother in his arms.

  
He could feel his brother breathing, Yazoo had looked over his brother’s body. It was intact, just as he had been when he had awoken. He glanced to where his brother had lain, seeing that his brother had landed hard, the metal dented and cupping the Mako Loz had been lying in.

  
His eyes trailed up to the top of the Shinra building. It may have been possible for his brother to have landed here, propelled by the explosion, completely missing the rubble that had caught Yazoo's unconscious body. He looked at his brother again, pulling back the tousled silver hair that had clung to Loz' face. It was then he noticed, as he drew back his hand that had been submerged under the liquid had become wispy, darkness fluttered about like smoke in the wind. His brother was soaked with the Mako, how was his body keeping its' form?

  
“Brother…” He whispered, caressing his cheek in hopes of stirring him to consciousness. Still no response, not even a flutter from his partially open eyes. Those eyes that were once ablaze the brilliant teal-like green all the brothers shared with the once great Sephiroth, were pale and lifeless, staring into infinity unseeingly. He rests his forehead against his brother’s as sorrow swells in him. His brother was living, but not alive. To hold back his emotions, he bites his bottom lip, adding a tinge more to the pain his body already felt being in this dreadful liquid. It didn't stop the threat of tears trickling down his cheeks.

  
In the deathly silence, the remnant's cries of sorrow echoed back to him. He would have mourned here if fate would let him. Instead, he heard the shifting of the ruins somewhere far off, which normally wouldn’t have been caused for alarm. Yet a cold chill went up the remnants spine. He gasped, the feeling catching him off guard. He listened as his eyes swept the landscape. It may have just been his awkwardness at coping with the situation he and his brother were in, but for some reason, he felt as if someone-- or something-- was watching them. 

No matter what it would end up being, he knew he couldn’t let it approach. He was a remnant, they both were remnants. And by that fact alone, their lives were in danger. If it was Shinra, he could only hold them off for so long before he had to choose. His life or his brothers? He had a strong sense of self-preservation, but the thought of abandoning his brother just to save his own hide made him sick. Still, that remained to be seen. He couldn’t dawdle here any longer. Though his brother was larger than himself, he managed to drape Loz’ body over his back and climbed out of the Mako pond, a wave of relief following as the nauseating pain fell away. 

For the days to come, the ruins of the old sectors howled as the air swept through. No matter if with a breeze or stillness, the city held the stale stench of death. The atmosphere only served to perpetuate his paranoia. Against his wishes, his body was becoming weak with fatigue. He pressed on, careful as he carried both their lives in his hands. A new noise seemed to get closer until he finally recognized it. Motors. Something was coming. He hurried to settle his brother's body down behind a mound of rubble, gently laying Loz' head to the ground before venturing a peek at the intruders. Several vehicles, individuals filing out of them as they started to spread out. He heard only snippets of their conversations, which told him they were scavengers. 

He looked to Loz with a sad expression on his face. He could steal a vehicle, or he could garner their attention to have them find Loz. A moment passes, and he decides against it. After their public display on the streets of Edge, and the scavengers most likely being from there, he doubts they would be aided in any way. He waited, making sure they weren't making their way towards the duo before he scooped his brother back over his shoulders, and begun walking once more. 

Days more pass, with as little rest as Yazoo would allow himself. The nights were cold and hollow, no life persisted in this part of the ruined city, no bird or rodent scurried along the ruins. There was something obviously wrong with his brother's body, he could see it in the way it looked ill. It scared him. They were remnants. Food and health were never an issue before. They weren't bound by the same laws of other lifeforms. And yet here was his brother, wilting in his arms and he could do nothing. Yazoo made an effort to find water that did not burn him at the touch. A day of rain finally passed over them, and with a stranded tin pot, he collected the rain. The shelter he had chosen for them had not been adequate enough. It leaked and it pooled water. He would either chose another location or find a canopy or tarp to throw over it, he thought to himself as he absentmindedly stroked his finger through his brothers' hair, pulling it back into the style the larger man had been fond of. Yazoo always had admired Loz' sense of individuality, no matter it causing friction between him and Kadaj. Each of them had been different from the image of their predecessor, Sephiroth. He looked out toward the rain as the catching pot filled, pondering. 

The fight between Cloud and Sephiroth, who used Kadaj as his advent. It had been spectacular. Loz and Yazoo had barely been able to catch it in time, no thanks in part of those rowdy Turks. Maybe... Had they made it in time, had Kadaj allowed them all to absorb Mother, or had they become one in that instance maybe they would have been able to defeat Cloud. Instead, all that effort was for naught, and Yazoo had lost his family. He was pulled from his thoughts as he felt movement on his lap. 

Yazoo cast his eyes down to Loz as hope swelled within him. "Brother?!" All that stared back was that lifeless stare, nothing had changed. He collected himself and focused on what he had thought he felt. That's when he noticed it again, Loz was shivering. A small gasp of sorrow filled laughter escaped Yazoo's lips. He tucked his brother in closer, rubbing the others arms as he rests his face on his brother's forehead, cradling him close. "You're right, brother. The rain is a tad cold today. I will move us tomorrow." 

After making sure that he had his brother drink, he kept his promise to Loz and the morning after the rain had stopped, he had them in search of a new location. He kept the pot with them, using one of the leather straps of his attire to secure it to his leg. He traveled with his brother a little while longer, noticing that he had arrived in a sector of the slums that held lots of residential buildings. Despite the destruction Meteor had wrought the city, there were certain sectors less damaged. Sector Four had a few promising houses, and Yazoo had picked a ground level house to lay his brother down. Setting him on a demolished couch and placed their water pot next to it, he adjusted his brother in hopes of making him comfortable. Loz was far too tall for this couch, but it would have to do for now. 

"Stay here brother, I will go search for supplies for us." Gently he kissed Loz' warm forehead and pull away. Puzzlement crosses his face as he pulled his glove off and put the back of his hand against his brother's head. His brows raise as his brother's skin felt a little warmer than he thought it ought to be. "... I will try and find us a change of clothes as well." 

He rose, gently brushing a little bit of hair out of his brother's face as he did, and turned towards the door, and closed it as he left. Looking around, listening to the quiet of the sector and focused on his breathing. He not heard, nor felt any presence that he would count as alarming. Pushing himself off the door frame, Yazoo began to pillage the nearby slum houses. It was harder than he expected to find a pair of pants that he was certain would fit Loz, most were far too short. And what he couldn't find, he found materials to make. He will learn to sew. It wouldn't be something he would be used to doing and a very... human action. But if it meant that he would keep his brother, clean and comfortable, he would do it. Back and forth, that entire day, he spent gathering materials. Cloth, a blanket, pots and pans, and even a large basin. He found dented but intact metal barrels, and rolled them over, opening the top so as to catch any rain in the days to come. One floor basin he had brought inside and filled it with as much wood as he could get, deciding it would make a good fire pit. There wouldn't be a fire hazard here since this building was mostly made of dirt and metal, but he would have to make sure there was a way to vent the house. 

It was dusk outside, the sun waning in a far off distance. He had brought enough cloth to use as a cover for his brother for the night. He had removed the leathers himself had worn and dressed in more commoners clothing, thankfully loose. He had yet to find pants for his brother, and with the darkness about to consume them, Yazoo would have to start on that tomorrow. He did have a pair of shorts and a shirt that might fit Loz. He warned his brother what he was about to do as he pulled Loz up to the adjacent wall and unzipped his leathers. Everything had looked fine as he leaned his brother forward, sliding the leather down their shoulders. As he set it to the side and leaned his brother back against the metal wall, his eyes caught sight of Loz' right arm. He gasped and tried to let out a calm breath as he lifts that arm up. The Materia still lay partly embedded in that arm, their magic swirling in tandem with an ugly and inhumanly black aura. Had this what his own Materia looked like for him before they popped out? His hand gently slid down the arm, grazing the point of contact, that is when he felt a shiver. Yazoo watched his brother's face as he slid his fingers along the point the Materia touched Loz' skin. Loz had breathed more quickly, and his arm shivered at each touch. 

"Oh... oh forgive me, brother. I didn't mean to hurt you." He caressed the back of his hand against Loz' cheek. Then, he held his brother's face and looked into those lifeless greens. "I will have to remove those... eventually. But... not until we're sure."

  
He pressed his lips on Loz' forehead and reached over to grab a dry shirt. It took a little longer than that to change Loz' pants to the pair of shorts he had for him. He covered his brother in all the good cloth blankets and throws he could find and lay next to him, finding comfort in sliding his fingers through Loz' hair. "Tomorrow," he whispered as if afraid to wake his brother, "We have a lot of work ahead of us..." 

Yazoo spent the next few days scavenging the ruins of Midgar supplies. Food and water were the most important. His brother required it. But the barren ruins provided little water and even less food. It had become clear early on, that he had to associate with the scavengers who frequently arrived in the area to gain the food he needed for his brother. He decided to approach one such band after of course, acquiring eye gear to hide his special eyes. One man had smacked the other one on the arm and whistled at Yazoo. It confused him. Were they cat-calling him? Did they think he was female? It didn't insult him, he knew his features were far more feminine than his brothers, a fact he was most proud of. He decided, that for his own benefit he'd play up that role, even changing his posture just a smidge to be more feminine.

  
"Hello, darlings," He said, making sure his voice was softer and more pleasant, "I don't suppose you boys would be interested in trading supplies?"

  
They looked at each other and nod in imperfect unison. The chunky man spoke up as the other took a step away to speak on his phone, "Sure thing, sweetheart. Don't see why we can't strike up a deal. We'll get the boss for you."

  
Yazoo smiled and leaned against a tilted pillar nearby the vehicles. "Quite the gentleman you are."

  
What felt like half an hour passes before more individuals walk back with bags of scrap items. He saw one man ordering the others around. He was dark skinned and reminded Yazoo of natives of Costa Del Sol. He was comically just a few inches shorter than Yazoo. That must be the leader.

  
"Names Arizona. So, ma'am." He said with a thick accent as he approached, and said the feminine title in a manner that made Yazoo sure the man saw through the facade. "Whad'ya be needin from us?"

  
Yazoo did not falter. After all, the man was playing along, why wouldn't he? "I would like to set up a trade agreement with you boys. I will gather scrap in your stead, in exchange for certain commodities I may need. Doesn't that sound fair?"

  
"... No problem there... You got a phone?"

  
"Unfortunately... the screen has been busted. It no longer works."

  
To Yazoo's surprise, the man took his cell phone out and handed it to him. "Might I ask you," a curt nod was Yazoo's response, "Why you ain't moved on out to Edge like everyone else?"  

  
"My... little brother," he answers, deciding that a half-truth might serve him better in this situation, especially since his first attempt at crafting a lie died in action. Adding 'little' before 'brother' was just to make their situation more sympathetic, "He's too sick to move as of yet... And we've no family in Edge to take us in until we can get on our feet."

  
That seemed to hold up, the man waved Yazoo on over to the larger vans. "What kind of supplies you need right now?"

  
"Food... preferably soft foods. We've burned through our supply." That last bit granted him a weary expression from Arizona, but again, nothing was said aloud. 

That was that. They gave Yazoo a week's worth of food. In exchange, next week he'd need have gathered what was on their list, which would be texted to him. It felt as if it were a stroke of luck, but with the wandering eyes all over him, he might lose some sway with the group. Maybe he could exploit them a little more, dress more to their liking. Yazoo returned to Loz with a broad smile on his face. Walking in quietly, he lay the food items on the mangled table. He didn't like how lopsided the table was, it could break at any point. He'd need to fix that. He started the fire and begun to go through the food he could cook for his brother. Plenty of cans, they gave him. And a canteen of water. He used a scarce amount of water to clean the pot, and popped open one of the cans, cooking the contents in the pot.

  
Whilst it cooked, he walked over to Loz in the makeshift bed and sat him up.  "Hello there, brother. It's almost lunchtime."   
He moved his brother out of the bedding, and against one of the walls. Once it was done, he tried to let it cool a bit before feeding it to Loz.

  
It was... an ordeal.

  
Loz wasn't swallowing on his own, not very well. And forcing it too much had caused coughing to happen. That was the most lively reaction to his environment that Loz seemed to have. It had become quite clear to Yazoo now, that his brother was going to need a lot more help than he had first thought. He crushed the food more into mush and tried again, with better reception, no coughing this time. After all that was done, he cleaned Loz up and lay him back down in bed. Taking pieces of wood and cloth, Yazoo wrapped his brother's arm in a sling in hopes not to jostle it in the future.

  
The days to come were actually quite hard on Yazoo. Loz had grown sick somehow. He had suspected as much, with how hot Loz' head had been. But no matter how much he tried to feed Loz, there were times his brother couldn't hold it down. It tore Yazoo apart. He hadn't the time to gather what he had promised for Arizona and his boys. He was too busy cleaning the sheets and cleaning his brother up from little inescapable messes. Loz' body had a major fever by the middle of the week, his breathing raspy and forced. His dear brother, clutching on so tightly to life despite his condition. It overwhelmed Yazoo, and today, he just couldn't hold back his grief any longer. He had collapsed his head into the other's shoulder, and let himself cry, riddling the air with desperate apologies. These were cut short by a call on the cell phone. He wiped his eyes and grabbed it. Arizona... He cleared his throat, and sighed, focussing. 

"Hello, darling." He answered, thinking his voice sounded strong. "To what do I owe the call?" 

There was a long pause as it sounded like Arizona was trying to find words. "Are you crying?" 

Yazoo bit his lip. "No, what is it you need?" He said firmly with a warning in his tone, a warning that had gone unbidden. 

"Is it your brother?" Yazoo didn't answer. "What's his condition? I can bring you medicine for him, but I need to know what he's sick with." 

"I've nothing to pay--" 

"I ain't charging, I'm giving. Let me help." 

This surprised Yazoo and put him on edge. He couldn't trust anyone, and this man was trying to use compassion to wiggle his way into good graces. He knew this man's game now. He won't let himself be played. Still, if he was getting free medicine... "Then meet me at the place we met. And come alone."

  
That had seemed adequate enough for Arizona.

  
Within a half hour, Yazoo was making his way down to the spot, and he saw the man's truck pulling up. He made sure his visor that covered his special eyes were in place just as the vehicle came to a stop nearby. The man had just stared at him in his driver's seat, giving him a look that did nothing but irritate Yazoo.

  
"Are we doing this exchange or are you just going to keep staring at me?" He said in his usual tone, cold and proper, abrasive.

  
Arizona hopped out of the car. "Might I ask you?" He said as he came around to the back of the truck.

  
"No," Yazoo said in a menacing tone.

  
"Why you dressing like a woman? I mean, well ain't nothin wrong with that. My lil sister hated dressin like a girl, so ain't got nothing against it. Just curious."

  
Yazoo scoffed. Of course, this man was going to ignore the tightrope he was walking on. "Then be satisfied with the answer; I just feel like it." Yazoo walked around to the back of the truck, still on edge. He gets a look from Arizona that he didn't quite interpret well. It wasn't pitty or annoyance. Sympathy perhaps?

  
"I get the feeling that you don't want to trust me... But, you know, I ain't gonna hurt you... or your brother. You look like you've been through enough shit." Arizona dropped the tailgate, and dragged a large crate over, giving the crate to Yazoo. Then he grabbed another crate and closed the tailgate.

  
"What is the second crate for?"

  
Arizona just smiled at him. 

Yazoo didn't want to move, didn't want to show him the way to the house. But if the second crate were as heavy as the one he was carrying, then he wouldn't be able to carry both for very long before making lots of stops, or dropping something. He would allow it for now, but he wasn't going to let the man inside. He led them to the metal house and gave the man a very stern and threatening glare. "You stay out here." 

Propping the crate on his leg, he opened the door, setting down the crate just inside the door. He took a moment to look toward Loz before he started to walk back out to get the other crate, almost running into Arizona. 

"What are you doing?"

  
"He... doesn't look too good."

  
"I told you to stay outside!"

  
"I am outside."

  
Despite that fact being true, Yazoo didn't feel too comfortable with how close the man was to the threshold. Yazoo yanked the crate from his hands, and set it next to the other, then shoved Arizona away from his house. "What is your angle, cretin?!"

  
"I got no angle." the man raised his hands in a calm manner of truce. "I just wanna help."

  
"Lies!" Yazoo steps forward, brandishing the intimidating stature he had been so accustomed to. It was slipping on a well worn and well-loved pair of jeans; it felt safe and right. He could tell the moment that sadistic smile crosses his lips that his aura had effected Arizona in the appropriate manner he had been going for as the man took a step back. "I should kill you here and now. No one would find you."

  
Arizona gave a short chuckle and shook his head. Silence fell between them for but a moment, and if it had lasted a moment longer then Yazoo would have grabbed a nearby pipe to spear this fucker in the gut.

  
"You're scared... I get it. But I told you... I'm not here to hurt you, or your brother." His voice was still calm.

  
"Leave, or I WILL kill you."

  
"Alright... alright." He turned to leave and added, "Don't worry about work this week, you got your family to take care of."

  
And with that, the man took his leave. Yazoo stays standing there a moment more until he heard the vehicle off in the distance. With a heavy sigh, letting the tension roll off his shoulders, he walked back into the house and started to go through the crates. More food and a sewing kit, and a solar charger for his phone, a new pair of goggles for his eyes. Medicine and water. He gently looked towards the door and down the road that Arizona had left down. Pushing the altercation from his mind, he rolled up his sleeves and was about to clean up Loz and cook dinner, when his phone suddenly vibrated one singular time. He picked it up and saw a message had been left.

  
'It wasn't my intention to piss you off. And now that I know what's wrong with your brother, you'll get a proper supply drop next time.'

  
Yazoo stared at the message a moment, and then replied back.

 

'No unannounced arrivals or I will kill you.' 

 

He received a quick reply, 'Got it. So, what do I call you?'

  
'Yazoo' 

  
'See you next week Yazoo.' 

  
Yazoo saved the number under the man's name, closed the phone, and set it to the side. He didn't know how to feel. But at this moment, with Loz' condition, he had no choice but to rely on Arizona. He turned his attention back to taking care of Loz for the day. He had his brother take the medication given to them and cooked his brother some dinner. He was still figuring out how to feed his brother without the coughing, but he was getting better at it. And to his relief, Loz seemed to be holding it down. Yazoo almost felt his heartbreak once more as he ran his fingers through Loz' hair, looking down at his brother, who still struggled to breathe, but then again the medicine hadn't had time to kick in just yet. He replaced the bedding with clean linens and lay Loz back into the bed, cradling against him as he heard rain start to pour outside. Soft and soothing, it even brought Yazoo much-needed relaxation. 

  
"Rest, brother. I'll take care of you... I'll protect you in your moment of weakness." He allowed the rhythm of the rain to send him off to sleep. "I won't let you be alone..."


End file.
